Technology Salaries and IT Jobs in 2009

Information technology workers and executives, listen up.

Management-consulting firm Janco Associates has put out its Mid-Year Annual IT Salary Survey (for purchase), and the results are not surprising. Salaries and bonuses are down, and outsourcing is up. From the Janco release:

Janco Associates is just completing its 2009 Mid Year Salary Survey and found that the median salaries paid to IT Executives in large enterprises (over 500 million in sales or with more than 100 IT professionals) has fallen in the last 18 months… The CEO of Janco, Victor Janulaitis said, “Over the last six quarters there has been a noticeable reduction in costs associated with senior level IT professionals in large enterprise.  In New York alone there are over 200 IT executives that had earned well into the six figures that are now looking for work.

The results are to be expected, but what about specific jobs not in demand? The report has some good detail on jobs likely to be in demand and those likely to have some issues in 2009.  For the large and mid-size enterprise, these jobs are likely to have a low layoff or outsourcing potential (and see some demand):

Enterprise

Chief Information Officer – VP
Computer Operations Shift Manager
Network Control Analyst
Network Services Administrator
Systems Analyst
Systems Programmer

Mid-Size:

Manager Database
Manager Internet Systems
Database Specialist
Network Control Analyst
Librarian (PCI-DSS Specialist)

Here are the jobs that are more likely to face layoffs and outsourcing and see a decrease in demand:

Enterprise:

VP Technical Services
Director IT Planning
Manager Internet Systems
Manager Operating System Production
Manager Systems & Programming
Manager Technical Services
Voice Wireless Communications Manager
Data Entry Clerk
Data Base Specialist
IT Planning Analyst
Senior Network Specialist

Mid-Size:

Director IT Planning
Manager Data Communications
Manager Operating Systems Production
Manager Technical Services
Disaster Recovery Coordinator
Network Services Administrator
Network Technician
Software Engineer
Web Analyst

It appears that executive-level positions may be holding on to their jobs in greater numbers than mid-manager level IT employees, but as the Janco CEO points out with his comment about New York, executives are feeling the pain, too.

ZDNet’s Jason Hiner puts it this way:

The most interesting part of the report has to do with middle managers. They are often heavily targeted in layoffs. In Janco’s report it looks like a lot of middle managers have been shed in layoffs in the past 18 months, but the ones who remained in large organizations have actually received a pay increase.

The same goes for technical staff members who have survived in large organizations. Their average salaries increased in the past 18 months as well. In both cases, it may be that the best performers are the ones who remain and they are being asked to take one larger workloads due to layoffs, so the extra money could be a way to compensate them and keep them happy. In some cases, these workers may also be more valuable now if they are being asked to manage outsourced workers.

So while there have been layoffs, there have been some pay increases for some technology workers. That good news may come as a surprise, but it makes good sense for those who have gone above and beyond on the job.

What else can you do to help keep your job in these tough economic times? You can start by acing your performance review.

More Salary Advice:
Recessionary Salary Questions
Prevent Salary Misunderstandings
Selling Your Salary in a Penny-Pinching Economy

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